Alloy



Patented Oct. 13, 1925. a

" UNITED STATES SAMUEL PARK, 0F URBANA, ILLINOIS.

ALLOY.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL \V. Pane, a citizen of the United States, residing at Urbana, in the county of Champaign, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alloys; and I do hereby declare the following to be a. full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1

The present invention relates to alloys consisting for the most part of nickel, copper and aluminum wherein the aluminum is. present to the extent of about 2% to 8% y weight of the total. Such alloys are resisi tant to corrosion, and it is the object of the present inventionto so modify the proportions of the major constituents, and to so provide for additional minor constituents,

- and to so modify the process of compound ing, that there will be produced a non-corrosive alloy of im roved crystalline texture, of greater worka ility, and with greater freedom from the blow holes and faults than have been common with alloys of this general type. All proportions. hereinafter given are by weight.

I have found, as the result of extended experimentation, that to produce an easily workable alloy consisting for the most part of nickel, copper andaluminum, the aluminum should be present to the extent of 2% to 8% of the total. Using,2% to 1% gives greatest ductility and softness, and 6% aluminum is about the u per limit for workability by usual metho s of rolling and of wire drawing. 1 4

Also I have found that bestresults are to be had when the ratio of nickel to copper in the alloy is about that of ,64 to 31. Stating. this idea with more exactitude, the nickel present shouldamount to 1.85 to 2.20 tlmes the amount of copper present. I have discovered the further principle" that as the percentage vof aluminum in the alloy goes up tothe upper limit of 8, the ratio of nickel to copper should be as 1.85 is to 1, and when the percentage of aluminum present goes down to 2 the ratio of nickel to copper should be as 2.20 is to 1.

I have found that for the production of an alloy of the best crystalline texture, and with freedom from such segregation of the cr stals'as will ield a spongy center, metals 0t er than nic e1, copper and aluminum Application filed December 22, 1924. Serial No. 757,401.

must be used in compounding the alloy. According to my practice manganese to the extent of' to 1% is added to the molten nickel copper and aluminum with hi hly beneficial effects. th of 1% will elp somewhat, but the best percentage is between and 1%.

I am not prepared to state just what role the manganese plays when thus added to the molten alloy just previous to pouring, but without its'use have found that an alloy of nickel, copper and aluminum, as above described, will, on cooling crystallize out in such a way as to have a spongy center. On rolling and wire drawing this spongy center develops into a distinct fault The beneficial-effects seem to have been imparted to the alloy even thou h the manganese may have been consumer? in large part in freeing the fused mass of oxygen, mtro- 7 gen and similar elements. v

Also I have discovered that to secure the best results another element must be added to the fusion, namely, tantalum. 'Iantalum can be -used between the limits of th of a,

percent to 8%, but so far as my results show there 1s no need to use more than 1%.

,The tantalum undoubtedly reacts with the oxygen and nitrogen constituents in the fusion and acts as a scavenger, perhaps be-.

ing entirely consumed by that. action. Except for the use of tantalum the alloy of nickel, copper and aluminum, even when manganese has been used as above described, will not have the high 'malleability and workability desired "by me and attainable when tantalum is used, though .it will have high resistance to corrosion and. good strength and a hardness easily regulated b the extent to which aluminum has beeh use In this sense, and to this extent, scavenging with tantalum is essential.

scavenging with tantalum may be followed with scavenging with magnesium or zinc to the extent of fi th-of a percent to sistant alloy consisting mainly of nickel,

copper and aluminum, of good crystalline texture, and of easy worka )ility, and with freedom from spongy centers, blow holes and.

faults is as follows:

Nickel 64 parts, copper 31 parts, aluminum 2 to 6 parts, depending on whether a i just before soft or hard metal is desired, man anese 1 part or less, tantalum in the neigh' orhood of 1 part or less, togetherwith fractional percentages of impurities common to the foregoing elements.

The method of compounding consists in forming a fusion of the nickel, copper and aluminum, then adding the manganese, and

'ouring, scavenging with the tantalum, and if desired, with an additional fractional percentage of ma esium or zine.

The alloy casts well, an in addition to having good strength, high resistance tocorrosion, and a hardness easily controllable between wide limits, through control of the uantity of aluminum resent, has the additional and highly desirable characteristics not heretofore found in alloys of this type, that when cast, there is no troublesome segregation of crystals and no formation of a ipongy center, and the texture is of excelent rain, uniform throughout the casting, and Tree from blow holes or faults. The net result is a metal that can easily be rolled into sheets or rods or drawn into wire without blemishes or imperfections. The roduct so made fulfills a substantial need in the industrial arts. A

I claim: 1. An alloy comprising nickel, cop er and aluminum, substantially as described, to which has been added manganese not less than roent nor more than 1% and tantalum 1n an effective amount not exceeding 8%.

2. An alloy comprising nickel, copper and aluminum, substantially as described, to which has been added manganese not less than nor more than 1% and tantalum not less than f th per cent nor more than 2%.

3. An alloy comprising nickel, copper, aluminum and manganese, substantially as described, said alloy having been scavenged with less than 8% tantalum and being char-' acterized by high malleability and workability.

4. An alloy comprising nickel, copper and aluminum with the nickel content in excess of the aluminum content not less than 2% nor more than 8%, and the copper content in excess of 22%, together with manganese, substantially as described.

5. An alloy comprising nickel, copper and aluminum with the nickel content in excess of 50%, the aluminum content not less than 2% nor more than 8%, and the copper content in excess of 22%, to ether with manganese and tantalum, su stantially as described.

6. An alloy comprising nickel, copper and aluminum with the nickel content in excess of the aluminum content not less than 2% nor more than 8%, and the copper content in excess of 27%, together with manganese not exceeding 1% and tantalum not exceeding 8% 7. An alloy consisting'e'ssentially-of nickel about 6 parts, copper about 31 parts, manganese about 1 part, aluminum about 2 to 8 parts and tantalum to the extent needed to give high malleability, substantially as described.

8. An alloy of nickel, copper, aluminum and manganese wherein the ratio of the nickel content to the 00 per content is about .as 64 is to 31, the nic el consituting more than 50% of said alloy, substantially as described.

9. An alloy comprising aluminum 2 to 8%, manganese about 1%, the remainder, after scavenging with 8% or less of tantalum, consisting mainly of nickel and copper in about the relative proportions of 1.85 to 2.20 parts nickel to 1 part copper saidalloy being characterized by a good"crysta1l1ne texture and freedom from s ongy centers, blow holes and faults and y easy workability and resistance to corrosion.

10. Inthe process of fusing and casting an alloy consisting for the most part of nickel, copper and aluminum substantially as described, the ste which consists in scavenging the fused a oy with tantalum so that the cast metal will have a higher malleability. i

v 11.. In the process of fusing and casting an alloy of nickel, copper, aluminum an manganese substantially as described, thestep which consists in scavenging with an effective amount of tantalum not exceeding 8% to thereby increase the malleability of the finished alloy.

12. In the process of fusing and casting an alloy comprising more than 50% nickel, not less than 2% nor morethan 8% of aluminum, more than 22% copper, and manganese in an effective amount not exceeding 1%, the step which consists in scavenging the molten alloy wlth tantalum to. glve to it a higher malleability than it otherwise would have. M

In testimony whereof I aflix my slgnaturr SAMUEL W. FARR. 

